Seated With Christ

Seated With Christ

By Jeff Fitzgerald

There are two words parents often say to their children. These two words are repeated over and over again, especially between 2-6 years old. You probably have a pretty good idea what words I am referring to. Go ahead, take a guess. The two words are “Sit Down.” I know, you are probably shaking your head in agreement at this very moment or laughing as you recall how many times you have said these words to your children.

As a parent of two, I have come to the conclusion that there is something inside every child that would much rather stand up (especially at restaurants) than sit down.

The other day as I was hearing myself repeat these very words, a thought came to me. If I as a father say these words to my children every day, surely there must be words our Heavenly Father is continually speaking to us as His kids.

Among the many words of life the Father is undoubtedly speaking to us daily, I believe there are three words that He speaks regularly, and repetitively. Before I reveal what I think these words are, may I remind you that He thinks a lot about what He has to say. When spoken “let there be light”, there was light. When He said, “Lazarus, come forth”, that is exactly what happened.

When God speaks, He is declaring truth about what He sees and intends. Our words, on the other hand, are often formed to declare desired behavior.

Ok, so here are the three words I believe God is saying to believers frequently and repetitively until we get it…YOU ARE SEATED! From our human perspective the action we desire from our children should happen the second we speak it. From God’s perspective it’s not an action He is waiting for us to take; it’s a declared reality – a statement of our identity! Our being seated with Him is a present reality that actually occurred in the past. The moment we believed in the work of Christ on the cross, we were SEATED with Christ!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and SEATED us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:4-6)

I would like to point out that we had nothing to do with the procurement of this reality, other than to believe. It is God who seated us! Many believers walk around thinking one day I will be able to sit down and relax in Heaven if I pray hard enough, or if I am holy enough. The reality however is that you are already seated with Christ! Just like our kids, we find it VERY difficult to actually sit down. One of the toughest things for a believer to do is simply rest…rest in His work, rest in His righteousness, rest in His love, rest in His acceptance, rest in His holiness.

Rest is something that is a reality in Heaven once we receive Christ. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way,

“For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” (Hebrews 4:8-10)

God’s desire is that we REST in HIS REST. Jesus is seated and at rest, not because He is the Son of God only, but because His work is finished!

Check this out,

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:11-12)

Watchman Nee once said,

“The Christian life consists of sitting with Christ, walking by him and standing in him. We begin our spiritual life by resting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus. That rest is the source of our strength or a consistent and unfaltering walk in the world.”

Next time you find yourself telling your kids to sit down, which will most likely happen multiple times today, remind yourself that you are seated with Him.

I will leave you with the same words I tell my kids, except from a little different perspective; SIT DOWN, because you really are already seated!